Australian couple say pad Thai in Phuket made them ‘zombies’

Australian couple say pad Thai in Phuket made them ‘zombies’

PHUKET: A couple have made headlines in their native Australia after claiming that a meal of pad Thai they ate at a Phuket food court during a family holiday in 2017 ruined their lives and their business for more than a year.

Stacey Barnes tells 7 News Perth about her family’s long illness after a trip to Phuket. Photo: Screenshot from Stacey Barnes Facebook page

Stacey Barnes, 32, and Ryan Prigg, 39, said they became feverish after the meal and caught the next flight out of the country to return to their home in Perth, where their symptoms worsened.

“Some days, I would suddenly become extremely bloated after eating something small, my stomach would just be enormous,” Ms Barnes told news.com.au. “We developed cold sores all over our face and ulcers all through our mouths.

“I thought to myself, ‘If I have to live with this, it’s not worth living at all’...I had no memory, I was really foggy…like a zombie.”

The couple told media they struggled to look after their two children and almost lost their lucrative health and lifestyle business.

They said they eventually tested positive for the tiny parasite Dientamoeba fragilis in their intestines, and only recovered after blood transfusions and courses of antibiotics, probiotics and vitamin supplements.

A doctor interviewed on 7 News Perth, however, said that the parasite was present in 25% of healthy adults, and there was no scientific consensus that it caused disease. The news reports did not appear to offer any conclusive evidence that the symptoms arose from the parasite or that the couple ingested it during their visit to the Phuket food court.

The couple, however, were convinced that the typical Thai meal eaten by millions was to blame. “I won’t go back – ever!” said Mr Prigg.

“We won’t go back to Asian countries again,” added Ms Barnes, “but I want people to be aware that these things can and do happen.”

The couple did not immediately respond to a message from the Bangkok Post.

I've had much worse food poisoning in Australia than I ever have in Asia. Fed up with clowns blaming others without any proof.

MJJA |
10 July 2019 - 05:33:04

Really, are you kidding me, you are both a special kind of stupid.. !!!

GerryT81 |
09 July 2019 - 20:27:15

Thailand will be deeply saddened that Ms.Barnes and Mr.Prick are not coming to Thailand anymore.Lucky for other Asian countries that they don't have to be a host for such people .Wondering why such kind of stupid stories are even published.